Air circulator



March 9, 1943. D. F. JONES ETAL AIR CIRCULATOR Filed Jan. 4, 1941 R E v mg m W5 m mMMjA J 5N. .WJH 0m? Patented Mar. 9, 194:;

AER CERCEIEJATGIR Don E". Jones and 30hr: W. Milier, Lansing, Mich, assignors to Motor Wheat Corporation, Lansing, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application January 4, 1941, Serial No. 373,080

(ill. 93-33) 6 Claims.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side view in elevation of a circulating heater having an air circulating unit forming a part of the wall thereof;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the air circulating unit shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the damper plate and control mechanism forming a part of the air circulating unit.

The circulating heater illustrated in Figure l is of the same general character as that shown and described in the above mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 292,178. It includes a casing I 0, an air circulating unit i I forming a. part of the wall thereof, a flue outlet I2 connected to a chimney i3, and an automatic draft regulator l4 associated with the flue outlet.

The air circulating unit II is adapted to disthe inlet opening IS. A motor 22 is mounted upon the outside of the front wall I5 with its shaft 33 extending through that wall. The fan 2i is mounted upon the inner extremity of the shaft 23. As clearly shown in Figure 2, the fan 2i is axially aligned with the opening l9 whereby upon rotation of the fan air is drawn into the air duct 98 through the opening i9 and discharged radially by the fan toward the outlet opening 2&3.

In order to control the direction of the air discharged by the fan through the outlet opening 253, there is associated with that opening an air directional grille 2d. The grille is formed with a plurality of louvres 25 and is rotatably mounted upon a flange of the front wall l5 which defines the outlet opening 23 therein. Handles 26 are provided on the periphery of the grille 2% ,to facilitate the rotation thereof whereby to vary the direction of the air discharged therethrough.

In order to control the volume of air circulated by the air circulating unit ii, there is associated with the inlet opening IS a damper plate 21. The damper plate 27 is positioned on the outside of the rear wall l6 and mounted upon one end of a rotatable shaft 28. The shaft 28 extends through the walls 16 and I5 and adjacent the outer surface of wall I5 is provided with an adjusting handle 29. The plate 21 is rigidly secured to the shaft 28 so that when the shaft is rotated the plate is swung about the axis of the shaft as a pivot.

From the construction just described it will be understood that the plate 21 can be swung charge heated air from the casing under pressure so as to increase the volume of air circulated by the heater and to control the direction of flow thereof. The arrangement of the air circulating unit as a part of the wall of the casing and the manner in which the former functions in combination with the heater are fully disclosed and described in the above mentioned co-pending application and will not be repeated here.

The air circulating unit H comprises a front wall I 5 and a rear wall l6 secured to each other about their peripheries, as indicated at H, to form a panel-like structure which includes an air duct l8 having an inlet opening l9 formed in the rear wall and an outlet opening 20 formed in the front wall.

A fan 2| of the axial intake-radial discharge type is mounted within the air duct ll adjacent 68 from the position shown in Figure 2 and in full lines in Figure 3 to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, or to any intermediate position. When in the former position the plate serves to substantially close the inlet opening l9. When in the latter position it does not obstruct the opening I9 to any substantial extent. The limits of movement of the plate 21 about its pivot are fixed by the provision of an arcuate slot 30 in the plate itself with-which there is associated a pin 3| rigidly secured to the wall Hi.

When the plate 21 is in the position shown in full lines in Figure 3, the volume of air which is circulated through the air duct l8 by the fan 2| is at a minimum. When the plate 21 is in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, the volume of air which is circulated through the air duct it at the maximum.

The major portion of the plate 21 which is adapted to overlie the opening i9 is offset as indicated at 32. The plate in the region of the offset is provided with a reinforcement rib II. By this construction of the plate, air is permitted to pass through the inlet opening it at all times, and objectionable vibrations of the plate itself are eliminated.

In order to secure the plate 21 in a desired position, there is provided between the plate and the wall I. a leaf like spring element 34, best shown in Figure 4. The plate 21, the shaft 28, and associated parts, are assembled so that the spring 34 is under compression and frictionally engages the plate 21 and the rear wall I at all times. Thus, it serves to hold the plate 21 in any position to which it may be rotated by the adjustment of the shaft 28.

In order to indicate on the outside of the front wall I! the position of the plate 21 with respect to the inlet opening IS, a dial 35 is associated with the adjusting handle 29 (see Figure 1). The dial is calibrated so that when the point of the handle 29 is directed toward the word Low the plate is in the position shown in Figure 2 and in full lines in Figure 3. When the point of the handle 29 is directed toward the word High the plate 21 is in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3.

From the foregoing description it will be readily apparent that the motor, the damper plate 21 and the directional grille 24 may all be adjusted from the front of the unit H. Thus. when that unit is installed as a part of the wall of a heater casing, as shown in Figure 1, all the necessary adjustments can be made from the exterior of the heater without removing the unit from the casing wall.

The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An air circulating unit comprising. an air duct having a wall formed to provide an air inlet opening, a plate pivotally mounted on the wall and adapted to be swung to a position to overlie said inlet opening, a shaft extending through said wall which has one end secured to the plate on one side of the wall and the other end provided with an adjusting handle on the other side of the wall whereby to rotate the plate about the axis of the shaft as a pivot, and a compressed spring positioned between and frictionally engaging the plate and the wall whereby to hold the plate in the position to which it is rotated by the shaft.

2. An air circulating unit comprising an air duct having a back wall formed to rovide an inlet opening and a front wall spaced from the back wall, a plate pivotally mounted on the back wall and adapted to be swung to a position to overlie said inlet opening, a shaft extending through said walls with one end secured to the plate on the outside of the back wall and the other end provided with an adjusting handle on the outside of the front wall whereby the plate may be rotated about the axis of the shaft as a pivot when the shaft is rotated, and a compressed spring positioned between and frictionally engaging the plate and the back wall whereby to hold the plate in the position to which it is rotated by the shaft.

3. An air circulating unit as defined in claim 2 wherein the front wall is calibrated to cooperate with the adjusting handle to indicate the position of the plate relative to the opening in the back wall.

4. An air circulating unit comprising an air duct having a wall formed to provide an inlet opening, a plate pivotally mounted on said wall adjacent the inlet opening, and means for securing said plate in a plurality of positions as a partial closure for the inlet opening, said plate comprising a first portion pivoted to the wall at a point remote from the inlet opening and a second substantially flat portion adapted to overlie the opening when in one position, said second portion being offset from the wall defining the inlet opening in all of its positions, said first portion being provided with an arcuate slot concentric with the pivot axis of the plate, and a stop on said wall located in said slot to limit the pivotal movement of the plate.

5. An air circulating unit comprising an air duct having an inlet adjacent one end and an outlet adjacent the other end, a fan mounted within the duct, a motor for operating the fan, and means for varying the volume of air circulated through the duct by the fan comprising a plate pivotally mounted on said duct exteriorly thereof adjacent the inlet, said plate comprising a portion pivoted on the duct at a point remote from the inlet and another portion offset from the plane of the first portion and adapted to overlie the inlet when in one position, said last named portion being substantially flat and being spaced from the wall of the duct defining the inlet opening in all of its positions, said plate being provided with a continuous reinforcing rib located partially in said offset portion and partially in the other portion of the plate.

6. An air circulating unit comprising an air duct having a back wall formed to provide an air inlet opening and a front wall spaced from the back wall, a fan in said duct adjacent said inlet opening, a motor for operating the fan, said motor being mounted on said front wall exteriorly thereof, a plate pivotally mounted on the back wall adapted to be swung to a position to overlie said inlet opening, a shaft connected at one end to said plate and extending through said Walls and having a handle located adjacent the exterior of the front wall, whereby said plate mal be rotated about the axis of the shaft as a pivot when the shaft is rotated by turning the handle.

DON F. JONES. JOHN W. IVHLLER. 

